Ten
The house was dark and quiet when they returned from the department store with Jade’s new dress. She’d expected Mrs. Dalton to be in the living room, reading a book or watching television, but she was nowhere to be found.
Harley looked down at his phone as he flipped on the light in the entry hall. “She’s gone to dinner and a movie with a man she met on OurTime.com,” he said, reading her text aloud. “She says not to wait up for her.”
Jade smiled. “Good for her.”
He didn’t seem to be as excited. “When she comes home, I’m getting the guy’s information and running a background check on him.”
“So suspicious,” Jade noted, shifting the garment bag in her arms.
“Do you know how many cases we handle that deal with internet dating? Scammers, catfishers, missing women, false identities, stalkers, bigamists...too many to count. And that doesn’t even take into consideration your run-of-the-mill jerks or perverts sending unsolicited dick pics.”
Her eyes widened. If the idea of internet dating had appealed to her before, she was second-guessing it now. “I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t bothered to sign up for any of those sites yet.”
“Good,” Harley replied gruffly. “You don’t need to be on there, anyway.”
She turned toward him. “Why not? That’s how people meet these days. I’ve been divorced for almost two years now. I didn’t think I was ready to date yet, but maybe it’s time. I’ll have to ask your mom how it’s going for her when she gets home.”
A glint of jealousy flickered in Harley’s blue eyes, and it was exactly what she’d hoped to see when she said those things. She wasn’t really interested in online dating. What she wanted was for him to tell her why she didn’t need to do it. That she wasn’t single. That she didn’t need a dating site because she had him. Perhaps that he cared for her on some level. But she knew he wouldn’t. And it was foolish of her to even entertain such a thought.
For a moment, he looked as though he might prove her wrong. Words seemed to linger on the tip of his tongue for a moment as his square jaw flexed. “You can meet plenty of guys in real life without going through all that,” he added instead. “Especially when you’re wearing a dress like that one.”
Jade let a smug smile curl her lips. She thought she had gotten a rise out of Harley in that dressing room. He was flirty, as always, but there had been a light of appreciation in his eyes when she stepped out in the dress that she couldn’t ignore. Even if she’d hated the dress she would’ve bought it just for the way he looked at her while she was in it.
“Speaking of which, I’m going to go hang this up, in your bedroom. Do you want to help me?”
Harley frowned. “You need help?”
Jade looked at him with the sultriest gaze she could come up with. “Well, it is an awfully big house. I don’t want to get lost. And we are here all alone...”
He caught on fast. Before she could even take a step toward the staircase, Harley had scooped her up into his arms and was carrying her across the marble hall. Jade squealed in surprise, clutching the dress high in her arms to make sure it didn’t trip them in catastrophic fashion.
She buried her face in his neck as he climbed the stairs. It was soothing to breathe in the scent of his skin and think about what was coming instead of pondering how painful a fall down the stairs would be. When she finally looked up, they were at the bedroom door. He kicked it open, stepped forward and gently set her down on the edge of the bed.
“What was that all about?” she asked, now that she was safely on the ground.
“You said you needed help and didn’t want to get lost.” He grinned. “I try to be as helpful as I can, especially when a lady is in distress.”
Jade shook her head. “You’re a show-off, is what you are.” She stood and carried the dress to the closet to hang it up. “That was very Rhett Butler of you.”
“You’re lucky I thought to do it like that. Normally, I just throw someone over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. That’s how I’ve carried my fellow soldiers out of dangerous buildings and situations when they were wounded.”
“Good call,” she said. “Ladies don’t like to be hauled around like potato sacks.”
Harley came up to her and placed his hands on her waist. His fingers pressed into the flesh of her hips as he gently stroked the knit fabric of her sweater dress. “I thought that might be the case.”
Jade wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel the dress inching higher on her thighs as he gathered the material in his hands. His gaze never left hers as he reached the hem and lifted it up over her head. As Harley tossed it aside, his blue gaze dipped down to study the treasure he’d uncovered. She’d worn a black strapless bra and a matching thong to try on formals without visible straps or panty lines. Judging by the expression on his face, he approved of the undergarments.
He flattened a hand over her collarbone, then slid his palm down her chest. She wondered if he could feel her heart pounding as he hesitated for a moment, then cupped her left breast through the silky fabric. She reached behind her to unclasp the bra and let it fall to the floor. The movement elicited a groan of appreciation from Harley’s lips.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as he admired her body.
His palms rose to cover both breasts. The rough feel of his hands against her sensitive nipples teased them into hard peaks, and every graze across their tips sent sparks of pleasure down her spine. She could feel her body grow flush, and heat built between her thighs by the second. She was amazed at how quickly she reacted to Harley. Just a touch, a glance, a wicked smile, and her body was ready for him instantly.
He leaned down to kiss her. This time felt different, though. Maybe it was because this was their first intimate moment since the break-in. Or maybe the last few days had just changed things between them. The urgency was gone, replaced with a gentleness as he sought to savor every moment with her.
Jade leaned into him, molding herself into his embrace. She enjoyed stroking his stubbled jaw, tracing the line of his throat to his collarbone, then on to the row of buttons on his shirt.